The Horsemen's Stories
by Southern Steel
Summary: "Come in close. Closer. As close as you can. Because the closer you are, the easier it will be to fool you." A collection of drabbles and one-shots. Chapter 25: Time to Grow Up. Chapter 26: A Time and a Place. Chapter 27: Revenge is Mine. Chapter 28: The Darkness Within.
1. The First Card

_**And so begins my second ever drabble collection. I have one for the TV show Merlin, but Now You See Me is just to good a movie to pass up and I have so many little plot ideas running through my head, so this will hold any and every drabble and maybe an occasional one-shot as well. I hope you enjoy. :) **_

_**Characters/Pairings: Jack  
Rating/Warnings: K, minor spoiler for the fight scene, but not to bad.  
Word Count: 269  
Author's Note: This idea came from the fact that my arm is throbbing in pain every few minutes right now. The movie made me want to learn card throwing so that's what I've been doing all day today. That inspired this. :) **_

* * *

_The First Card_

The first time he picked up a card it just felt right. The slide of the cards between his fingers; the thrill of correctly choosing the other person's card, it was like the cards were a part of him. They always had been, even from a young age. He didn't start out to be a magician, but in the end he became one of the best.

The first card he threw was thrown out of pure boredom more than anything. He had seen it done once or twice and it had been interesting, but not something he had considered doing. That first card throw was all it took though. It was a rush, the straight drop, the flick of the wrist, the card spinning through the air.

That first day he spent hour after hour throwing card after card at everything he could. He missed more often than not, but the few times he hit whatever he was aiming at sent a thrill through him. That night he could barely move his arm he was so sore and his back ached from bending down to retrieve the cards.

But he didn't let that discourage him. He kept at it, day after day, month after month, until he was the best. He could throw a card and hit what he aimed at every time. His arm grew use to the strain of the motion and his hands grew quicker with each throw. He was the best card thrower there was.

And that is why, when push came to shove, he chose a pile of cards over an iron fire stick.


	2. The Beginning

_**Characters/Pairings: Four Horsemen  
Rating/Warnings: K+  
Setting: Right after the hologram scene at the beginning of the movie  
Word Count: 421**_

_**Disclaimer: These characters do not belong to me. I am only borrowing them for my own amusement. **_

* * *

_The Beginning_

The hologram faded shortly after it appeared, leaving the four people in shock and awe. For a few moments, no one spoke. They just stood there in a room of dry ice smoke in an abandoned building in New York with complete strangers.

"Well that was exciting." Merritt commented, tongue in cheek.

"That's one word for it." Jack agreed, still shocked at the fact that he was in a room with his idol.

"But who came up with it?" Henley asked.

"And why?" Daniel supplied, mind racing with ideas. "Why us, I mean. Why not just put it on themselves?"

"Maybe they can't." Jack suggested.

"But why us?" Daniel repeated.

"Because we're the best." Merritt said matter of factly.

"And how would you know that, Martin was it?" Daniel asked.

"Merritt." The older man corrected. He held the card they had first found on the floor up. "And because this says so."

The other three gathered around Merritt and read the words that had appeared on the card.

"_You four are the best of the best. Make the Eye proud." _

"The Eye?" Jack repeated. "What's the Eye?"

"Beats me." Henley replied.

"Well this has certainly been exciting." Daniel said, backing away from the others. "But I believe this is where I make my exit."

"You aren't going to stick around?" Jack asked, upset at meeting his idol only for him to leave.

"No way." Daniel replied instantly. "Whoever came up with this is obviously a genius, but how do we know he's not a psychopath?"

"Yes, because all psychopaths lead their victims to an abandoned room and then give them the key to fame." Merritt replied with a roll of his eyes.

"How do you know it's a he?" Henley asked, folding her arms. "You're right on one thing though, this is genius."

"You can't be serious, Henley." Daniel said, staring at his old assistant. "You're not really planning on staying, are you?"

"What could it hurt?" She replied with a shrug. "It's a good plan and if it leads to Vegas…"

"You two are all for it too?" Daniel turned to the two men.

"I agree with the pretty lady." Merritt answered, winking at Henley who just laughed.

"It sounds exciting." Jack agreed. "And it's not like I've got anything else to do. This could finally be my break!"

Daniel just stared at the three.

"You're crazy!"

"Yep!" Merritt happily agreed.

Jack and Henley just shrugged. Daniel sighed and walked back over to the projectors.

"Let's see those plans again."


	3. Leave Me Alone

_**All right, so this is how I'm feeling tonight (Gotta love being around much to bubbly people) and, being me, had to write something about it. So here it is. And if anyone things Henley is out of character, then you have never been around a mad woman before. I'm sure that every girl (and probably every guy) has felt this way at one time or another so yeah. **_

_** Also, I want to give a quick shout-out to Lupin Fan 1 and Miss Emeralds! Thanks for the reviews, guys, and I'm glad you're enjoying these little drabbles. I hope I can continue to write the characters the way you were enjoying them, especially Merritt since he is in this chapter quite a bit. **_

_** Now, onto the rather long drabble!**_

_**Characters/Pairings: All Horsemen, but mostly Henley and Merritt  
Rating/Warnings: K+, possible OOC on Henley's part.  
Word Count: 707**_

_**Disclaimer: The Four Horsemen do not belong to me, unfortunately. **_

* * *

_Leave Me Alone_

It had started out as a normal good day. Three months had passed since they had first discovered the blueprints in that abandoned apartment. Three months of nonstop planning, traveling, and performing together as The Four Horsemen. They had little, if any, time off and were stuck with each other almost 24/7. Needless to say, sometimes, most of the times, it drove Henley Reeves crazy.

Being the only girl in a four man act had its advantages. She always got a bed to herself while the boys had to share. She always got the bathroom first, though that didn't stop Daniel from whining about it. And she could play the weak card and get out of carrying the heaviest bags, even though she was the farthest thing there was from weak.

But it had its disadvantages as well. Like today, for example. It had started as a good day. They had performed a show perfectly in front of a crowd of around one hundred people—their biggest crowd yet—and her and Daniel hadn't fought to bad. She should have known better than to expect it to remain that way for long. One minute she was happy and in a good mood, the next it was a complete 180.

To put it simply, Henley Reeves was ticked off and ready to kill.

She was sitting on her bed in the one room hotel room—the cheapest they could find. They weren't rich and famous yet—, listening to her iPod through her earphones, when Merritt walked in whistling tunelessly.

"Hello there, my dear lady." He said with a smile.

Henley just glared and turned her music up a notch, bobbing her head slightly to the music. Merritt looked at her oddly, but just shrugged, figuring his friend was just tired. Falling dramatically onto the other bed with a relieved sigh, the oldest Horseman reached down to take his shoes off.

"Daniel and Jack are on their way back," Merritt announced, completely missing the death glare Henley sent his way. "They stopped at the Dollar General to get some snacks." He paused and looked up at Henley. "You didn't want anything, did you? I can call them if you do."

"No." Henley replied curtly, barely able to hear Merritt over her music.

"Are you sure?" Merritt continued, stretching out on the bed and getting comfortable. "Those stories have everything know. Milk, cereal, candy, ice cream, microwaveable meals, candy." He turned his head to looked over at the slowly angering girl on the other bed. "You sure you don't want anything."

"I said no." Henley said through clenched teeth.

"Are you positive?" Merritt seemed not to see the edge that he was slowly pushing her off of. "Because no one is going out again later and I haven't forgotten Greenville!"

"Merritt." Henley said quietly.

"Yes, my dear." Merritt replied with a wink.

"Shut up." Henley ordered, voice slightly raised. Couldn't he see she would really rather be left alone tonight?

"Are you ok?" Merritt asked, worried at the way Henley was acting. "Are you getting sick?"

"I'm fine." Henley replied. "I just want to be left alone."

"Are you sure your fine?" Merritt knew he was mother-henning the woman, but he was her friend and what good friend wouldn't make absolutely sure that their friend was ok.

Henley just paused her music and took her earphones out, glaring at Merritt as she did.

"Henley?" Merritt asked, somewhat nervously. "Um, Henley, what are you doing with that book?"

Daniel and Jack had just reached the door to their room when they heard what sounded like a fight going on. The two glanced at each other before dropping their bags on the ground and quickly sliding the room card into the key. The door had no sooner opened then Merritt came flying out, slamming the door behind him. He was without his shoes and a bruise had already begun to form on the corner of his head.

"Whatever you do," he warned, panting slightly, leaning against the now closed doors, "Leave Henley alone."

Daniel and Jack took in Merritt's appearance and the sounds of frustrated screaming-into-a-pillow coming from inside the room.

"So," Jack said slowly, "Who wants to catch a movie?"


	4. Out of His Hands Part 1

_**So I went to the local waterpark today and was swimming in the wave pool (Well, I say swimming. It was more like half-floating, half-sinking) when this idea came to me. It's going to be a two-part drabble because otherwise it would get to long. I hope you enjoy!**_

_**Characters/Pairings: The Four Horsemen  
Rating/Warnings: K+  
Setting: Pre-movie  
Word Count: 494  
Summary: Henley quite literally took the decision right out of his hands. **_

_Out of His Hands (Part 1) _

It had been one month since the four soon to be known as the Four Horsemen had found the blueprints to a full sized Las Vegas show. Though somewhat skeptic at first, the four had agreed to do one show together, just to see if they could even work together. It was an hour after that first show and, judging by the applause they had received, they would be working together for a long time…or at least until next year.

They had returned to their hotel room—not a fancy hotel like they one day hoped to be able to afford, but a relatively nice one—and were laying around, talking about their show. Daniel was already chattering nonstop about future shows, which only Jack was listening to. Henley and Merritt were each doing their own thing, occasionally looking over at Daniel and Jack with a shake of their heads.

"I have an idea." Henley announced, interrupting Daniel's lecture.

"What now?" the control freak asked, irritated at being interrupted.

"We should celebrate." Henley explained unfazed at her old boss's irritation.

"How?" Jack asked.

"Swimming of course." Henley replied. "The hotel has an indoor pool open till midnight."

"I'm in." Merritt confirmed quickly. "It's been a long time since I've been swimming."

Daniel frowned, but gave in fairly quickly. "Sure, why not."

"Perfect." Henley grinned. She loved swimming. "What about you, Jack?"

"Uh," Jack hesitated, not looking her in the eye. "I think I'll stay in here. I've got a card trick I've been meaning to practice."

"Oh come on, Jack," Merritt pressured. "You can practice cards any old time."

"No time like the present." Jack replied.

Merritt studied the young man for a moment before realizing what Jack's problem was.

"Oh, you don't know how to swim, do you?" He asked.

"You don't know how to swim?" Daniel repeated before Jack could say anything. "Who doesn't know how to swim?"

"I never really needed to know." Jack answered with an embarrassed shrug. "It's hard to swim when you're on the streets."

That shut Daniel up. Though a month had passed, they were still getting used to each other and it was often easy to forget that Jack hadn't had the home life the other three had been lucky enough to have. Henley looked at her younger friend in compassion before taking the decision out of his hands.

"You're coming." She told him. "It's about time you learn to swim."

"No, really, I'm fine." Jack denied. He was nearly twenty-two years old, for Pete's sake! He wasn't a child that needed to be taught.

"Uh uh," Henley said with a shake of her head. "You're learning how to swim and that's that."

Jack looked at the other two men, who made a point not to look at him. Neither of them were about to try and stop Henley when she had her mind set on something. With a sigh, Jack just nodded and gave in.


	5. Out of His Hands Part 2

**_Well, this part didn't turn out as I'd hoped. Not really happy with it and would have just taken it out all together, but my sister wanted a part 2, so here ya go sis. Hope you're happy with this haha :) _**

**_Disclaimer: Still not mine. _**

* * *

_Out of His Hands (Part 2) _

It had taken them quite a bit of time to track down their bathing suits. Merritt had made the situation that they forget the suits, but he hadn't even finished the suggestion before the other three had all but yelled "No!" at him. Merritt had just shaken his head, muttering good naturedly about "them being no fun," but had found his swim trunks.

All too soon, in Jack's opinion, they were in the four feet of water section of the pool. Well, he and Henley were. Daniel and Merritt had ditched them the second they saw the diving board and were currently fighting over who got to go first, which was solved when Merritt simply pushed Daniel in and went to the board. Henley shook her head and laughed at the two men's antics before turning back to the noticeably nervous Jack.

"There's no reason to be nervous." She said. "Swimming's actually fairly easy."

"I'm not nervous." Jack replied quickly, but the way he was rolling his fingers around showed his lie.

"Of course not." Henley said, raising an eyebrow. "The first thing you have to remember is to kick your feet to keep you above water when it's over your head."

She looked up the pool and pointed at a random hotel guest who was just floating, feet kicking below him and arms moving slowly around him.

"See what he's doing?" She asked, pointing. Jack nodded. "You just have to cup your hands together and move them together and then out while kicking your feet. Like this."

Henley ducked under the water and swam around, keeping her head above the water. Jack watched her, fiddling with his hands nervously. Henley stood up in the water and motioned at him.

"Your turn."

"I don't know about this." Jack said.

"Come on, Jack." Henley said. "Look at it this way. If you don't at least try, then Daniel and Merritt are going to make fun of you for the rest of the year."

"Fine." Jack frowned and did his best to copy Henley's motions, but only really managed to begin sinking under the water and come back up coughing up water.

Henley was right there, helping him to stand as he finished coughing a lung up.

"It's all right." She said, trying her best to encourage him. "I didn't get it the first time either. Try again."

Jack sighed and ducked back, this time managing to move a few feet before his head fell under the water again. Once again, Henley was right there, and this time she had a suggestion.

"Pretend you're trying to throw a card." She suggested. "Only you're trying to throw it backwards."

"What?" Jack asked, just staring at her.

"When you throw a card, you bring your arm back and then forward, right?" She clarified.

"Yeah." Jack said uncertainly.

"Well, start out like you're throwing a card, only keep your hands cupped and instead of flicking your wrist, keep moving your arms and hands out." She continued.

"Ok." Jack looked at her like she was crazy, but did as he was told and, to his surprise, actually managed to get the hang of it.

"You've got it!" Henley exclaimed happily.

Jack just grinned and the swimming practice continued for the next thirty minutes until they began to wander into the deeper sections of the pool where Daniel and Merritt were doing their best to push the other under water. Daniel was quick to stop when he saw Henley and Jack coming their way, but Merritt had to have the last laugh and ducked Daniel under, causing the other three Horsemen to laugh as he came spluttering up to the surface, hair covering his face.

By the time midnight rolled around, Jack was grateful to Henley for taking the choice out of his hands and forcing him to learn to swim. It had turned out to be a really good experience—with his favorite part being the chicken fight which Daniel would deny ever happening—and the next time they stayed at a hotel with a pool, Henley was regretting ever teaching the youngest Horseman how to swim.


	6. Behind the Wheel

_**I want to give (another) big thank you to Miss Emeralds for the reviews and for the idea for this fairly big drabble. In her last review, she brought up the fact that, despite it not being flat out said in the movie, everyone (myself included) consider Jack a street kid and brought up the good question of how does Jack know how to drive? Well, here's my take on that. It's not the best, but I did my best. I hope you like it. :) **_

_**Characters/Pairings: Jack  
Rating/Warnings: K+  
Setting: pre-movie  
Word Count: 865**_

_**Disclaimer: Now You See Me does not belong to me. **_

* * *

_Behind the Wheel _

He was only fifteen when he ran away for the final time. He had tried to stay in the home, he truly had, but it just wasn't for him. He was young, but he was smart for his age and he was talented. He didn't need much, just a shelter over his head and enough food to keep him from starving. He could get by, and he did for nearly two years.

But all good things must come to an end, as they say, and when he was just a month past seventeen they did come to an end.

New York is a dangerous place, but that danger is multiplied for a young teenager all on his own with no one in the world but himself and a pack of cards. He made his living as a street performer, doing simple card tricks for anyone who would stop and then neatly pickpocketing them for any valuables they might have. It was only a matter of time before he pickpocketed the wrong person and that Tuesday was the day.

"Ladies and gentlemen," It had begun the same way it always had, with a loud boast that he was the next greatest magician. He allowed his trick to be caught, had easily slipped the man's wallet and watch into his own pockets and had begun his retreat. He hadn't planned on the man having friends and he defiantly hadn't expected them to follow him into the alley that cut to the place he called home.

"This will teach you to mess with us, brat." One of the three men snarled, grabbing him and pushing him up against the side of the building.

"Whoa, whoa, hold on!" Jack exclaimed, hands going up to grab the man's arms as he was picked off the ground by his jacket. "If this is about the watch, you can have it back. It's right here in my coat pocket.

"Oh we'll get the watch back." One of the other men replied. "After we teach you a lesson."

"At least let me take it out!" Jack exclaimed quickly, successfully stalling the fist that had been coming toward him. "It's a nice watch. Wouldn't want it getting ruined accidently, would we?"

The man holding him looked over to the third man, who nodded briskly. Jack was let down and his captors backed off, just slightly, but it was enough. Reaching into his jacket pocket, he began backing away slowly, just enough to put a little distance between them. The men followed him, and Jack knew it was now or never. Not sure if this would work or not, he pulled out the old cards that he always carried with him and grabbed the one on the top.

"What are you doing, kid?" the third man, the one he had pickpocketed, asked in confusion.

Jack didn't reply as he let the card go. His first shot was lucky and hit the man who had picked him up right on the nose. Not wasting any time, Jack grabbed and released as many cards as he could while backing up. When the cards had run out, he turned on his heel and took off toward the other end of the alley. He could hear the men chasing him and knew he wouldn't be able to outrun them for long. Thinking fast, he looked at the end of the alley and spotted a car with the lights blinking, signaling it was unlocking.

He had never driven a car before, but he had seen it done before. How hard could it really be? His mind made up, Jack ran out of the alley and to the other side of the car. The owner had already opened the door and was climbing in when Jack collided with him.

"I am so sorry," Jack exclaimed, maneuvering the man around and slipping the keys out of the man's hand and into his own.

"Watch where you're going next time!" the man snapped, wiping his shoulder as if contaminated.

Jack took that opportunity to slip into the car and slam the door shut. He could hear the man pounding on the door, but he locked the doors and slipped the key into the ignition. He stared at the dashboard in front of him, struggling to remember everything that he knew about driving which, to admit, wasn't much.

"Here goes nothing." He muttered, glancing over to where the men chasing him were closing in.

Pulling the lever down until it was lined up on the "D," he pushed his foot on the gas and took off from the spot, narrowly missing running into an oncoming car. He laughed as the car soared away from those chasing him. Watching the road carefully, he zigged in and out of traffic, ignoring the angry honks coming from behind him. He was surprised at how simple driving was, or maybe it was only simple because he wasn't concerned about obeying the law.

Running a red light, Jack laughed. It was nice being behind the wheel, even if he would have to ditch it soon. He knew one thing for sure, though. He would defiantly be doing this again.


	7. Street Kid

_**This drabble was also born from Miss Emeralds last review where she mentioned that everyone thinks of Jack as a street kid, usually with a really awful past. I'm one of those who thinks that (I mean, he does give off that feel, just like Miss Emeralds said) but then I got thinking, what if we're all wrong? It is a possibility (Not a likely possibility, but still a possibility) so here's a short little drabble with the idea that Jack wasn't really a street kid with a bad past. It doesn't fit with what I think, but hey, it was fun to write. I hope you like it. :) **_

_**Characters/Pairings: Jack  
Rating/Warnings: K  
Setting: After the movie  
Word Count: 286**_

_**Disclaimer: Now You See Me still doesn't belong to me. **_

* * *

_Street Kid_

Everyone considered him a street kid. Even the other Horsemen, his closest friends, never asked about his background. He knew they didn't ask because they were so sure it would be a background of abuse, neglect, and sorrow. They were being kind, he knew, and trying to avoid opening old wounds.

Of course, that was just their take on his home life. Just because they believed that didn't make it true.

To tell the truth, his background wasn't anything special. He had grown up in Brooklyn, he never hid that fact. But he hadn't grown up on the streets. In fact, his parents were quite well to do. He had grown up in the nicer sections of Brooklyn and, while not rich, he had never really wanted for anything. As an only child, his parents had gone out of their way to give him whatever he wanted.

Everyone thought he had run away, but he hadn't. Not really. He wasn't a child who needed to run away from home. He had simply told his parents that he was going to follow his dream of preforming magic. Like any good parents, they hadn't been too enthusiastic about their only child working the streets, but they had agreed as long as he returned home anytime he needed.

Since becoming a Horseman he hadn't been back home. It was the only thing that he really regretted about joining the Eye, but some things had to be sacrificed, if only for the safety of his parents. If the FBI learned he was alive and who his family was, they could be called in for questioning. So if people still considered him a street kid, well, who was he to argue?


	8. Rainy Day Marathons Part 1

**_I am really excited about this little 5 part drabble because I've always wanted to write about characters in one show watching characters in another show, but none of my TV shows would ever fit into the correct time periods until...well now. (I watch mostly westerns, documentaries, and Merlin haha) So I thought, what the heck, I'll go out on a limb and do it. I hope you guys enjoy them. :) _**

**_GUEST: First off, thank you for the compliment and I'm glad you like the stories. I'm not very good at romance, but I'll see what I can do in the future about a Danley one. _**

**_Characters/Pairings: Four Horsemen  
Rating/Warnings: K+  
Setting: After the movie  
Word Count: 391_**

**_Disclaimer: Now You See Me doesn't belong to me. _**

* * *

_Rainy Day Marathons (Part One)_

"Come on, Henley!" Daniel whined, standing in front of the screen. "You've had the TV for the past three hours."

"My show's on!" Henley replied, pushing him out of the way. "You can have it when it's over!"

"When's that going to be?" Daniel asked, folding his arms and frowning.

"Two hours." Henley told him.

"Thank God for the internet." Jack muttered as Daniel and Henley kept arguing. He put the earphones in and turned the volume up, putting the Netflix on full screen.

Merritt, attempting to read, slammed the book shut. This argument had been going on ever since they had moved into the safe house after their big heists. It had gotten so bad that he and Jack hadn't even been able to watch anything on the TV, though they had finally put their—slightly illegal—finances together and got a Netflix which they alternated with.

"That's it." Merritt snapped, cutting the two magicians off in mid-argument. "If you two aren't going to do anything but fight, then maybe we should just get rid of the TV all together."

"What?" Henley and Jack exclaimed at the same time.

"You heard me." Merritt replied, putting his book down. "If you two can't settle this arguing over the TV, then I am going to get rid of it. You two are driving me crazy!"

"It's not a far drive." Jack muttered, hiding a grin behind his hand.

Merritt just rolled his eyes, choosing to fight that particular battle later. He looked at Henley and Daniel, who just glanced at each other and folded their arms, reluctantly giving up.

"Good." Merritt rubbed his hands together. "Now, I have an idea that would work better than getting rid of the TV and would let me and Jack actually have a turn with the TV."

That, at least, made Daniel and Henley blush as they realized they had been pretty selfish with the TV.

"What is it?" Jack asked, taking the earphones out.

"Every rainy day when we have to stay inside," Merritt explained, "Each person gets to pick what show to watch and we watch that show all day, and then the next rainy day another person picks and so on and so forth."

"I'm in." Jack eagerly agreed.

"Sure, why not?" Henley seconded.

"All right." Daniel nodded.

Merritt grinned.

"It's settled then."


	9. Rainy Day Marathons Part 2

**_I just want to mention that every show mentioned in this collection are shows that I watch, with Supernatural being my second favorite show (It still loses out to Merlin) so if you think the characters wouldn't watch those shows, sorry, but I needed to give them something that I could talk about and that's not much haha _**

**_Warnings: If you haven't seen the first episode of Supernatural, then one minor and one major spoiler. Nothing to big in the plot though.  
Word Count: 607_**

**_Disclaimer: Neither Now You See Me nor Supernatural belong to me (Unfortunately) _**

* * *

_Rainy Day Marathons (Part Two)_

**Rainy Day One—Henley **

They didn't have long to wait for the very next day was rainy. Henley drew the short straw and got to pick the first marathon. It was early when they started, that way they could get in the most episodes of whatever show Henley had picked. Much to their annoyance, she refused to tell them. She wanted it to be a surprise, though that surprise didn't last long when Jack expertly switched her DVD out with a same-sized book.

"What's _Supernatural_?" he asked, glancing at the title. "Are we watching stuff about ghosts?"

"Sort of." Henley replied, throwing the book his direction and taking her movie back. "No using your sleight of hand, Jack!"

Jack just grinned and plopped down on the couch, spreading out across it. He was forced to move, however, when Daniel sat down beside him. Merritt went to his chair and propped his feet up on the coffee table, rolling his eyes as Jack childishly stuck his tongue out at Daniel. Henley put the DVD in the player and sat down on the other side of Daniel. Skipping through the previews, she quickly pressed play and settled back, eager to watch her favorite show.

"What is this?" Daniel asked, looking between Henley and the screen where the mother was on the ceiling, bleeding and on fire. Of all the things he imagined Henley watched, this certainly wouldn't be one of them.

"It's good, now shut up." Henley replied, eyes glued to the screen even though she had seen it hundreds of times.

"She's going to die." Merritt commented the second he saw the blonde girl—Jess—appear.

"How do you know that?" Henley asked, frowning. She hated spoilers.

"Mentalist, remember." Merritt grinned, tapping his finger to his head.

They were silent for a few moments. Henley had settled back in after a few warning glances at Merritt. She didn't care if he could spot the spoilers, she didn't want it ruined for Jack and Daniel. The mentalist managed to keep his mouth shut for a total of one minute, but then the first shadowy fight scene came on.

"It's the brother." He announced.

"I swear, Merritt," Henley was practically seething. "If you don't shut up, I am going to hurt you."

"My lips are sealed." Merritt replied, miming sealing his lips and throwing away the key.

They managed to make it through the rest of the episode without another spoiler and as the credits rolled up, Henley turned to the three men eagerly.

"Well?" She asked. "What do you think?"

"I like it." Jack said first. "It's interesting."

"It's a bit…strange." Daniel replied hesitantly. To tell the truth, he wasn't too fond of it, but he wasn't going to say so with Henley directly beside him.

"Merritt?" Henley asked.

Merritt murmured something, but his lips were shut and no one could understand him.

"You can talk now." Henley said with a roll of her eyes.

Merritt mimed unlocking his lips and sighed.

"That's better." He took a breath before quickly giving his honest opinion. "Sam strikes me as a gentle giant who has major daddy issues and is a big baby. Dean plays the bad guy, but he's really just a big softie who is far too loyal to his father. As for the show itself, the content is interesting and it defiantly has potential, but I'll have to get back to you on what I think after a few more episodes."

The other three Horsemen just stared at the man. Merritt just grinned and threw a handful of popcorn in his mouth.

"Who's ready for the next episode?"

* * *

_**One last note, I don't want anyone to think I'm dissing Supernatural because of what I had Merritt say. That was just my honest opinion of the show when I first started watching it, but now I am hopelessly addicted and that opinion has changed completely...most of the time haha **_


	10. Rainy Day Marathons Part 3

**_I had a really hard time with this one because I just couldn't see Daniel watching anything that didn't have to do with magic. So I ran ideas by my sister and she found this one the funniest, so this is the one I stuck with haha :) Of course, then she made fun of me cause this is what I watch if I have the TV..._**

**_Warnings: None.  
Word Count: 534_**

**_Disclaimer: Now You See Me doesn't belong to me and neither do any of the documentaries mention. _**

* * *

_Rainy Day Marathon (Part Three) _

**Rainy Day Two—Daniel **

The day after the _Supernatural _marathon it rained once more and so they drew straws again, this time leaving Henley out. Daniel won the short straw and quickly ran up to his room to go through his DVD collections. He didn't have many—there wasn't much outside of magic that he was really into—and he seriously considered just grabbing the computer and pulling up the latest episode of _Penn and Teller: Fool Us_ but he figured the rest of the Horsemen would have a fit because of the magic, and so he finally, after much deliberation, picked one that had absolutely nothing to do with magic.

He hurried downstairs to where the others were waiting and put the DVD in the player, hiding what it was from prying eyes—in other words, Jack and Merritt. They sat in the same seats as before and once again Daniel had to force Jack to move his legs.

"A documentary on Ancient Egypt?" Henley asked when the title menu popped up. "Seriously?"

"What?" Daniel defended. "It's fascinating!"

"Yes," Merritt said with a roll of his eyes. "Because nothing says fascinating like a bunch of sand and mummies."

"This is your favorite TV show?" Jack asked skeptically.

"No," Daniel replied honestly. "That's _Penn and Teller: Fool Us_ but I don't have those yet so Ancient Egypt it is!"

"Seriously?" Henley asked again.

"Shush." Daniel hissed. "It's starting."

"_Egypt. A land of sand and history. A land so long buried in the sands of time…" _

"Wake me when it's over." Merritt interrupted loudly, leaning back in his chair and pulling his hat over his eyes.

Daniel sent a glare his direction, before turning back to the documentary. So it was a bit geeky, but it was interesting. He had grown up on documentaries like these and some of his favorite memories were of sitting in the living room with his brother and father and watching hour after hour of documentaries ranging from Ancient Egypt to World War II. Ignoring the bored-out-of-their-minds looks that Jack and Henley sent him, he settled into the couch and got comfortable.

_~~~~~~~~~One Hour Later~~~~~~~~~_

"Just gets better every time!" Daniel exclaimed as the credits for the episode began to roll.

All he received in reply where grunts. Henley was half-asleep, though not entirely. It had been interesting, she would admit, but not the way she would choose to spend a rainy day. Jack was sprawled out on the floor, his head resting against the seat cushion. He was fast asleep and Daniel slapped him across the head, waking him up quickly with a little yelp. He glared up at Daniel and rubbed the back of his head.

"Finally." Merritt mumbled, lifting his hat and sitting up. "How long has it been? Five months?"

"It wasn't that bad." Henley decided to try and defend Daniel's choice of entertainment.

Merritt and Jack just gave her a look and she shrugged in return. Daniel eagerly grabbed the remote, completely missing—or just not caring—the looks of extreme boredom his friends were sending him.

"This second part is my favorite!" He announced, skipping to the next episode.

The other three just groaned.


	11. Rainy Day Marathons Part 4

**_Warnings: Major spoiler for the first episode of Psych (Aka I tell the person who committed the crime)  
Word Count: 450_**

**_Disclaimer: Neither Psych nor Now You See Me belong to me. _**

* * *

_Rainy Day Marathon (Part 4) _

**Rainy Day Four—Jack **

The next two weeks were bright and sunny, so the marathons were set aside for the time being. They had all, somehow, survived over seven hours' worth of Ancient Egyptian documentaries, but the same couldn't be said for Daniel who was unusually talkative and kept comparing the documentaries until Jack began using him as target practice and Merritt made him walk around saying "That's me! I'm a little princess" every time someone said his name.

When the next rainy day came, Merritt graciously let Jack pick the show. He had something special planned for the group and wanted to be last. So Jack eagerly grabbed all six seasons of his favorite show and put it in.

"You'll like this, Merritt." He announced as the title page for _Psych _appeared on the screen. "It's all about this guy who's really good at reading people and observing and claims to be psychic."

"They made a show based on me?" Merritt joked. "I'm flattered, but they should have contacted me so I could get my share of the money!"

The others laughed and rolled their eyes as the show began. The first scene with the young Shawn Spencer counting all the hats just from memory left all the magicians amazed, even Jack who had seen the series more times than he would admit.

"There is no way that's possible." Daniel claimed.

"He would make one heck of a magician." Henley added.

"I could do that." Merritt grumbled, jealous of a fictional character.

"I'm sure you could." Daniel said with a shake of his head.

"I could!" Merritt defended. "I just choose not to."

"You guys talk a lot." Jack interrupted before the argument could get going.

Surprisingly, the Horsemen managed to stay silent through a good majority of the episode. Even Merritt kept silent, honestly lost as to what the seemingly pointless clues had to do with the crime that had been committed. Never one to just watch a crime show without trying to solve it before the characters, he was silently studying the characters, watching the body language and using every skill he had until…

"It was the father."

"Merritt!" Jack exclaimed.

"Well, am I right?" Merritt asked, grinning.

"Maybe, maybe not." Jack muttered, crossing his arms and leaning back into the couch.

"Ha!" Merritt exclaimed, fist pumping the air dramatically. "I knew it! Case solved!"

Sure enough, when the end of the episode came, the murderer turned out to be exactly as Merritt had predicted.

"I like this show." Merritt announced eagerly. "Come on, skip the credits! Start the next episode!"

His eagerness was rewarded by being yelled at by his fellow horsemen.

"No guessing the ending!"


	12. Rainy Day Marathons Part 5

**_This chapter is the entire reason I wrote this little series and was by far the funnest one to write. And I'm not just saying that because I was running around with my sonic screwdriver yesterday and throwing cards at the same time... Anyways, I hope you've enjoyed this little series and I'll shut up now so you can get reading. :) _**

**_Warnings: None, but if you've never watched Doctor Who you are going to be so lost.  
Word Count: 537  
_**

**_Disclaimer: Doctor Who and Now You See Me are not mine. _**

* * *

_Rainy Day Marathon (Part 5) _

**Rainy Day Five—Merritt **

None of the Horsemen would admit it, but they were all slightly nervous about what Merritt would choose on the next rainy day. They had seen him during their shows and none had ever actually seen what the older man watched. For their part, they just hoped it wouldn't be something childish. When the next rainy day came, they had no idea what they were in for.

The second the rain began to fall, Merritt ran up to his room where he remained for close to twenty minutes. The other three were about to go and get him when he came down the stairs at a run and they could only stare in shock and pure confusion at what the man. Merritt wore a brown suit with black converse, a bright red bowtie, and a red fez hat replaced his typical hat. On his eyes he wore a battered pair of 3D glasses and a "Don't blink" button was pinned to the suit. Under one arm he carried several sets of DVDS and under the other he carried what appeared to be a red pepper shaker with a toilet plunger and whisk sticking out. In one hand he held a banana and in the other a plastic toy that somewhat resembled a screwdriver.

"Um, Merritt," Jack spoke up first, "What are you wearing?"

"My _Doctor Who _cosplay, duh!" The man was practically bouncing as he walked over to the DVD player and put the first disc in. "Allow me to introduce you to the wonderful world of British television. Allons-y!"

"Allons-what?" Daniel asked, not even sure what to say as Merritt sat down on the floor directly in front of the TV.

"Allons-y." Merritt repeated, turning back to glance at the others. "It's French for 'Let's go'."

"Why do you have a banana?" Henley asked somewhat hesitantly, not sure she wanted to know.

"Because banana's are good." Merritt replied as if it were obvious. "And great at parties. Always take a banana to a party!"

"Is that a bowtie?" Jack asked.

"Bowties are cool." Merritt replied instantly. "Hush! It's starting!"

"Why do I get the feeling that Merritt has officially lost it?" Daniel whispered to the other two.

"I said hush!" Merritt exclaimed, pausing the episode, even though only one second had passed. "_Doctor Who _is a very complex show and you can't afford to miss even a second of it or you'll be horribly lost and confused."

"We already are." Jack told him.

Merritt ignored him and pressed play, cuddling the stuffed Dalek to his chest and holding his sonic screwdriver in his hand. The other three glanced at each other, more worried than ever about what they were about to watch, but turned and watched the episode in silence. From his seat on the floor, Merritt was almost constantly shouting, telling the characters not to do something and then getting mad when they did. When the episode finally ended, he turned toward them with an excited grin, looking for-all-it's-worth like a five year old kid.

"So what did you think?"

There was silence for a moment before Daniel spoke up for all of them.

"What the heck did we just watch?"


	13. The Debunker

_**I don't think in the movie that we ever really learn anything about Thaddeus Bradley's past except that in his first show he debunked Lionel Shrike and ruined him. That got me thinking about why and how he could debunk a magician as good as Shrike was. Then I thought of the phrase "It takes one to know one" and there ya go, head canon formed haha I hope you enjoy. :) **_

_**Characters/Pairings: Thaddeus Bradley  
Rating/Warnings: K+  
Word Count: 268**_

_**Disclaimer: Now You See Me doesn't belong to me.**_

* * *

_The Debunker_

Magic had made him who he was. From as far back as he could remember magic had been a part of him. His father had done it and his father before him and his father before him. They had never had much, but they had had each other and, as corny as it sounds, that had always been enough for Thaddeus Bradley.

Then his parents had been killed in a trick gone wrong.

He was a man by then, but their deaths still hit him hard. He had tried to continue their legacy, to let the Bradley name live on in the magic community. He was good and he knew it. He could have been the best; his name could have passed even the great Houdini himself.

But then the debunker came.

His tricks were exposed and people quit coming to his shows. The magic was gone. He struggled for years, moving from town to town, preforming the streets for money. He was reduced to cheap hotel rooms and sleight of the hand card tricks. The Bradley legacy had fallen apart around him.

And that was when he turned himself around.

Magic wasn't what it used to be. People were constantly working out how to do the tricks. The magic was disappearing to him and he found he no longer cared to perform. He was past his prime and had known no other career but magic. And so he stayed in the field. The day the camera turned on him and he revealed Lionel Shrike was the day everything came full circle.

The debunked had become the debunker.


	14. Opportunity Missed

**_This sort of carries on from the last drabble, but it's another head canon of mine that Bradley was invited into the Eye, but either failed or didn't even attempt the tasks. And so this second part was born. :) _**

**_Characters/Pairings: Thaddeus Bradley  
Rating/Warnings: K+  
Word Count: 178_**

**_Disclaimer: Nope, still don't belong to me. _**

* * *

_Opportunity Missed_

He was twenty-six when he found the card in his pocket. It was the day after his parents perished in the trick gone wrong in front of hundreds of people. He hadn't been there. He had been on the streets, making a name for himself, not living off the shirttails of his parents. He hadn't been there and now they were dead.

The card rested in his pocket, the Devil on one side and an eye on the other with instructions to a place. The directions were clear, he knew where they wanted him to go, but there was something he had to do first.

The bodies were missing, shredded by the saws until there was nothing left to save. The caskets stood in the front of the church, pictures set inside them instead. People filed by, some with tears, others with morbid curiosity in their eyes. He ignored them all, his eyes focused on the pictures of his parents. They were gone and he hadn't been there.

11:45. The card said 11:44. Thaddeus Bradley's opportunity was missed.


	15. The One That Got Away

**_Several days ago, GUEST left a review asking for a Danley story. I'm not much for romance, but the song "The One That Got Away" by Jake Owens came on the radio a little bit ago and I remembered that request and this just popped into my head. So Guest, if you're still reading this, then here you go. This is the best I've got when it comes to romance haha :) _**

**_Characters/Pairings: Daniel/Henley  
Rating/Warnings: K+  
Setting: Pre-and-beginning of the movie  
Word Count: 408_**

**_Disclaimer: Still doesn't belong to me. _**

* * *

_The One That Got Away_

"I quit!" she shouted and I swear I about froze. "Have fun doing all the tricks with just Rebecca!"

"Don't be that way, Henley." I tried to soothe things over. This wasn't the first fight we had had, but it was by far the worst. "You know we can't do some of the tricks without you."

"Well you better learn." She said, a note of finality in her voice. "I'm done, Atlas. I can't take one more second in this place!"

A_tlas. _Lots of people—most people in fact—call me by my last name, but she never did. It was always Daniel or, when she wasn't mad at me, Danny. Never Atlas.

"Henley, think about what you're doing," I tried.

"I have thought!" She interrupted. "I've already been offered my own solo act."

"You got offered a solo act?" I flinched as the words came out harsher then I meant them to, even to my ears.

"Yes I did." Her eyes narrowed and I knew I had just made the situation worse. "And I'm taking it. Good luck, Atlas."

I could only watch as she turned and walked out of the building and out of my life. I wanted to run after her, to beg her not to leave—if not for the act, then for us—but my stubborn pride held me in place as the door swung shut and that chapter of my life was closed.

I kept the act going, but Rebecca was no Henley and before I knew it, it had all fallen apart around me. Rebecca left me for some big-time Vegas guy and I went back to the street, reduced to bribing electricians and simple card tricks. And every day I thought of her, wondering where she was, what she was doing, if she ever thought of me.

She did well for herself, much better than I did. Her website was proof of that and I was on it almost every day, just hoping to see her answer any of the comments I posted, but she never did. She was gone and I had let her go. There was no going back to whatever it was that we had had before.

And then came the card and she was back. It was like life had given me a second chance with the one that got away. And this time, I promised myself, I wouldn't ruin it. She wouldn't get away again.


	16. One Less

_**Well I wrote this one a few nights ago and, honestly, I have no idea where on earth it came from and I'm not sure I want to know...my mind can be a scary place haha I would have posted it sooner, but I decided to wait until I had a more light-hearted one to post immediately after. So I hope that makes up a little for this chapter haha :) **_

_**Characters/Pairings: Jack  
Rating/Warning: T for depression and major character death  
Setting: Post-movie  
Word Count: 308**_

_**Disclaimer: Now You See Me doesn't belong to me.**_

* * *

_One Less_

The Four Horsemen were gone, vanished into the air. Their names were gone, changed for their protection. The only family he had ever really known was gone, spread out all over the United States as they began to rebuild their lives from the ground up.

He was back where it had all began. He was wandering the streets of New York once again, performing simple card tricks for a little spare change and whatever he could pickpocket. He had come full circle and he found he no longer cared. He hadn't heard from the Eye since the night Dylan had taken them on the carousel. _We'll contact you when it's time. We have plans for you _they had been told. That had been a year ago and he hadn't heard from any of the Horsemen since.

And he didn't care. Not anymore. It had been the best year of his life, but it was over now. Their legend had already begun to fade and no one cared about a struggling magician anymore. His mind was lost in the past and maybe that was why he never saw the man. He only felt the knife hit home, sliding through his skin with a piercing pain before it was pulled out and he was left, crumpled and bleeding on the streets of New York.

He never even saw his killer. And he didn't care. He felt the life seeping out of him and he knew he should fight, should call for help, but he didn't have the energy. He felt the cards that had been in his hand scattered about on the ground and he reached out for them, grabbing one and holding it tightly. He would never see it, but he had grabbed his card, the jack of spades.

With one last shaky breath, there was one less Horseman.


	17. Prankster

_**Hope you enjoy this much, much, much more light-hearted drabble. :) **_

_** On a completely unrelated note, I wrote post on my blog a few days ago with all of the head canons I have for Now You See Me, so I thought I would post the link on this story in case anyone would like to check it out and see where some of the things I may write about in this and other stories. So if you're interested, you can find the blog at: insanely unique . blogspot . com (There is no www and no spaces. Combine the words and it'll be the first post)**_

_**Characters/Pairings: The Four Horsemen  
Rating/Warnings: K+  
Setting: Pre-movie  
Word Count: 591**_

_**Disclaimer: Nope, still don't belong to me.**_

* * *

_Prankster_

"Merritt!" the shout echoed through the rented house. "I am going to kill you!"

"What did you do this time?" Daniel asked, sighing and sipping his coffee.

"I didn't do anything!" Merritt exclaimed, eyes wide.

Daniel just gave a look that clearly said he didn't believe the older man. They had only known each other a few months, but it had become very clear very quick that Merritt was a prankster, and a childish one at that. His pranks never amounted to anything more than switching the salt and the sugar or placing their hands in warm water while they slept, but it was annoying. So far he hadn't targeted Henley, mostly out of fear of what the escape artist would do to him, but by the angry shouting it appeared he had finally pranked her too.

"I am going to kill you, Merritt!" Henley was seething as she came into the room, the bathrobe and the towel wrapped around her head showing she had just come from the shower.

"What did I do?" Merritt asked, sounding for once to be genuinely confused.

Daniel leaned back in his chair. He had been on the receiving end of Merritt's pranks more often than not and it was always a good feeling when it was someone else on the receiving end.

"You know!" Henley barked.

"No, I don't." Merritt replied.

Henley didn't reply and simply reached up to remove the towel wrapped around her head. Her wet hair fell down around her shoulders, but instead of her normal red, her hair was now a—to be quite honest—very ugly mixture of dark green and red.

The second he saw it, Daniel lost it and nearly fell out of his chair from laughing so hard. Even the death glare Henley sent him couldn't stop his laughter. Merritt just stared at her hair, doing his best to hide a grin. Henley turned her attention back to him and took a step forward.

"Too far, Merritt." She said simply, "Too far."

"As much as I wish I could claim this," Merritt replied, forcing the grin off his face, "I've never even thought of dying another person's hair."

"Then who was it?" Henley snapped, not believing the man for a second.

"I don't know." Merritt exclaimed, backing up slightly. "I swear it wasn't me. I'm not suicidal!"

Henley started to reply, but was cut off by the sound of laughter coming from the next room. Daniel had managed to control his laughter and watched curiously as Henley glared at Merritt one last time before walking over to the door separating the two rooms. She opened it and Jack, who had apparently been leaning on the door in a successful attempt to listen in, fell to the ground, face red from laughing so hard.

"I told you it wasn't me!" Merritt chided, letting his grin widen as he was thrown out of the fire and Jack was tossed in.

Jack managed to calm down and looked up at Henley, who just stood there, arms crossed, glaring down at him. His laughter stopped and he chuckled nervously, glancing over at Daniel and Merritt who just grinned and shook their heads.

"Uh, hi." He said nervously, crawling backwards and getting to his feet.

"You have a five second head start." Henley replied.

"What?" Jack asked, not understanding.

"One." Henley began counting and took a step toward the younger man. "Two."

"Run, Jack, run!" Merritt laughed.

Jack didn't have to be told twice and took off at a sprint.

"Five!"


	18. Light Them Up

_**I recently discovered the song "Light 'Em Up" by Fall Out Boy and listening to the lyrics just put me in mind of a really dark and serious scene and first I thought about it being perfect for a Supernatural story where the boys are serial killers, but then I thought what about Now You See Me? My mind has literally been playing with the idea of the Four Horsemen being serial killers all day long and I knew I just had to write something about it, so this is what came from that. **_

_** I'm considering expanding this sometime in the future and writing a full length story with the Horsemen as serial killers, but I don't know how well that would take so I'm going to post a poll on my profile and I would appreciate hearing what ya'll think of the idea. Until then, I hope you enjoy this dark little piece. :) **_

_**Characters/Pairings: Mentions of the Horsemen only  
Rating/Warnings: Strong T for slight gore  
Setting: Post-movie  
Word Count: 244**_

_**Disclaimer: Now You See Me doesn't belong to me...which might be a very, very good thing. **_

* * *

_Light Them Up_

The story began four years ago when four magicians joined together and formed one group on a quest to join the mysterious organization, the Eye. Four years passed with no sign, not even a small hint, as to where the Four Horsemen might be. They simply disappeared from the face of the earth; the greatest disappearing act the world had ever seen.

And then came the bank robberies. One here, one there, nothing to ever connect them except for one thing: a single playing card. It was always the same, at each and every bank all over the country, a single jack of spades left in the center of where the money once was.

Rumors flew that it was the Horsemen. They were back, but there were never any sightings, never any shows. There was nothing. The FBI claimed it was copycats, but everyone knew the truth: The Four Horsemen were back, but this time, the show was over. Now it was for the money.

Then came the killings.

With each new bank robbed, four bodies appeared, each with a single playing card tucked inside their slashed necks. It was brutal, unlike anything anybody had ever seen. Bank upon bank, body upon body, until the toll ran to fifteen, twenty, twenty-five. The law was stumped, the people terrified.

And the Horsemen? The Horsemen were living it big time. The world was full of greed and evil and it was time to light them up.


	19. Teacher's Regret

**_First off, I just want to say thank you to everyone who has reviewed, favorited, or followed this story! I'm in complete shock that anyone actually reads drabbles, to tell the truth, but it's awesome to see how many views this has gotten. Ya'll are awesome! :) _**

**_ This drabble is a request from bballgirl22 who asked if I could do one where Henley regrets teaching Jack to swim since I hinted at it back during that drabble. I hadn't planned on ever doing another drabble about swimming, but as soon as I read that review this came to mind so I hope you enjoy, bballgirl22. :) _**

**_Characters/Pairings: The Four Horsemen  
Rating/Warnings: K+  
Setting: Pre-movie, post-Out of His Hands part 2  
Word Count: 355_**

**_Disclaimer: If you recognize it, I don't own it. _**

* * *

_Teacher's Regret_

The more they traveled over the first few months, the less money the Horsemen had to spend. Thus they were reduced to cheap hotels in the bad parts of towns where the sheets hadn't been washed in only-God-knew-how-long and beds that practically sat on the floor. It wasn't until their names were becoming known and they were performing in bigger cities that they were able to afford another hotel with a pool.

And, Henley swore, it would be the last time they stayed anywhere near a pool.

It was her fault, she had to admit grudgingly. If she hadn't insisted on teaching Jack to swim at that first hotel, none of this would have happened. If she had just never taught him, then maybe they would have been able to relax after their first show. But she had taught him, and no sooner had they entered the room—each intending to collapse on the nearest soft object and sleep—then it began.

"So who wants to go swimming?"

"Not now Jack." Henley groaned, falling onto the bed and closing her eyes.

"Maybe later." Daniel added.

Merritt just grunted. They thought that was the end of it, but they couldn't have been more wrong. Five minutes of silence passed before…

"Who wants to go swimming?"

"Not tonight, Jack." Daniel snapped. He had almost been asleep and he didn't appreciate being woke up.

"Ah come on, guys." Jack all but begged. "We haven't stayed in a place with a pool for months now."

"And we won't again if you don't stop asking." Merritt threatened.

"I've asked twice!" Jack exclaimed.

"That's two times too many." Merritt replied, not even bothering to open his eyes.

"Come on!" Jack was already digging through his bag for swimming trunks.

"No!" The other three exclaimed.

Reluctantly, Jack quit digging through his bag and sat against the wall, looking for all the world like a put-out puppy. Silence fell and the Horsemen began to drift off again, sure everything had been settled.

"Are you sure you don't want to go swimming?"

The three Horsemen groaned. It was going to be a long night.


	20. Cookies

_**This chapter is for Lupin Fan1, who requested a Merritt centered chapter. It's not exactly centered around him, but it is mainly about him, so I hope you enjoy it! :) **_

_** Also, I've never actually done this before, but if at any time there is something that you'd like to see me write, feel free to request it. I can't guarantee that I'll write it immediately like I have done these past two, but I'll do my best to write any ya'll give me eventually. :) **_

_**Characters/Pairings: The Four Horsemen  
Rating/Warning: K+  
Setting: Post-movie  
Word Count: 477**_

_**Disclaimer: Now You See Me still don't belong to me. **_

* * *

_Cookies_

"Where is he?" Daniel was pacing the room, checking his watch every few seconds. "He was supposed to be back hours ago! If I'm late…"

"You'll what?" Henley interrupted with a roll of her eyes. "Lecture him? He's a grown man, Danny."

Daniel frowned and Henley went back to her book. As much as she might poke fun at Daniel, she couldn't help but admit she was growing worried as well. It had been three hours since Merritt had said he would be back and they hadn't heard from him since. It wasn't like him and they were all worried, even if Daniel insisted he only wanted the car so he could get to his date on time. If Merritt had been caught…

"He's back!" Jack announced, cutting the thought off.

"It's about time!" Daniel snapped, hurrying to the door.

Henley rolled her eyes once more, but put her book aside and followed, leaving Jack to take the rear. Sure enough, Merritt had just pulled into the drive of the rented house. The trunk was up and Merritt, it appeared, was currently digging around in it, which was odd because he had only run to the post office to mail a bill.

"Uh, Merritt, what are you doing?" Jack asked as the three reached the car.

"Oh thank God!" Merritt exclaimed instead of reply. He stood up, practically buried underneath the mound of bags in his arms. "I thought I would have to carry all of these by myself."

"What…" Daniel started, but he was cut off as Merritt dumped the bags into his arms. He stumbled slightly, surprised by the sudden weight, and peered over the mountains of bags. "What on earth did you buy?"

"Cookies!" Merritt replied happily. "Don't worry, there is more than enough for all of us."

"Emphasis on _more than enough_." Jack laughed, reaching into the back and pulling open one of the bags. He laughed again as he looked over at Merritt and asked, "Girl Scout cookies? Really?"

"They were outside the post office." Merritt defended, shoving several bags into Jack's arms. "What was I to do? Pass them by without helping the poor little children out?"

"There's a difference in helping and buying them out, Merritt." Henley tried to keep a stern face, but a grin threatened to break through.

"I know," Merritt replied, handing her several bags as well. "But I went to buy just one and this little girl looked up at me with those big puppy dog eyes...I'm just a man, Henley. A poor, kind-hearted, man."

"More like old fool." Daniel muttered. He groaned as he looked through the bags in his arms. "You didn't even get the good kind! Were they out of lemonades?"

"Nope!" Merritt replied happily, slamming the trunk shut, his hands completely free of bags. "Come on, now, we have cookies to eat!"


	21. Brain Twister

_**So this morning on our way home from church, my brother and sister insisted on telling me this brain twister riddle thing they had heard. I don't like riddles because I'm not smart enough to figure them out unless I've heard them before, so I kept giving sarcastic answers and my sister random said, "You sound like Daniel!" (We are both that obsessed with the movie that that is now a near daily saying between us haha) She said that and I knew I had to just write it down. It's probably out of character, but it was amusing to write and I hope you enjoy. :) **_

_**Characters/Pairings: Daniel, Henley  
Rating/Warnings: K+  
Setting: Anytime pre, during, or post movie  
Word Count: 350**_

_**Disclaimer: Now You See Me doesn't belong to me and neither does the riddle. Daniel's reactions, however, do belong to me as it is how I replied to my siblings. :P **_

* * *

_Brain Twister_

"Cleopatra and Andrew are lying on the floor. There is water and broken glass surrounding them. They weren't poisoned and Caesar had nothing to do with it. How did they die?"

Daniel just looked up with a disbelieving look on his face.

"Really, Henley?" He asked.

"Just answer the question!" Henley demanded.

Daniel sighed. Henley had made it her personal mission to trip him up, be it with a puzzle, work, or, apparently, a brain twister. He just shook his head and put his pen down. Two could play at that game.

"Well you never said that they were dead so nothing killed them."

Henley just stared at him, mouth opening and shutting several times before finding the words.

"Cleopatra and Andrew are lying dead on the floor," She amended, "There is water and broken glass surrounding them. They weren't poisoned and Caesar had nothing to do with it. How did they die?

"That would make no sense, though," Daniel his grin as Henley just stared at him in disbelief. "Cleopatra committed suicide with the venom of a snake, and venom counts as poison, so your scenario would make no sense whatsoever."

"Daniel!" Henley glared. She hated when he turned things around on her! "Just answer the riddle!"

"But it can't be answered!" Daniel argued. "You are messing with history and you just can't do that. Cleopatra died by poison."

"They didn't die by poison!" Henley all but snapped. "Do you give up?"

"Fine," Daniel sighed dramatically, barely managing to hide a grin. "How did they die?"

"They're goldfish!" Henley chirped happily. "And Caesar is a cat! He knocked the bowel over, it shattered, and they died on the floor surrounded by water and broken glass!"

"Why is Caesar a cat?" Daniel asked, no longer able to hide his grin. "That's a stupid name for a cat. Cleopatra would be better for the cat's name because the Egyptians used to worship cats and Cleopatra was an Egyptian."

"You're impossible!" Henley groaned and left the room.

Daniel just grinned as he watched her go. Sometimes he wondered why she even tried.


	22. Pick a Card

_**On Youtube their is the video of Melanie Laurent (the woman who plays Alma in the movie) doing a card trick. I saw that again this morning and knew I had to put that into the Now You See Me world, so this chapter is taken from that video. I hope you enjoy. :) **_

_** Also, Mistrel Fox, I got your review after I had already wrote it, so it's not exactly Dylan centered, but he's in here! I'll write a Dylan centered one here soon though. I've been leaving him out, but he'll come in again soon. :) **_

_**Characters/Pairings: Alma, Dylan, Four Horsemen  
Rating/Warnings: K+  
Setting: Post-movie  
Word Count: 382**_

_**Disclaimer: Neither the card trick nor Now You See Me belong to me. **_

* * *

_Pick a Card_

"Pick a card."

Daniel glanced up at the blond haired woman sitting beside him, deck of cards fanned out in her hands. He glanced quickly across the room, taking in the amused looks of his fellow Horsemen. He sighed. Ever since the heists had been completed and they had flown to France to live until the news died down back in the States, Alma—the pretty Interpol agent and Dylan's girlfriend—had become all but obsessed with learning simple magic tricks. She was a fast learner, they all admitted, but she just wasn't very good.

"Really, Alma?" Daniel sighed, reaching out and picking a card. "Again?"

"Yes." The French woman replied, exaggeratingly turning half around, arms extended, and eyes shut tight.

Daniel sighed and, after memorizing his card—the ten of diamonds—he stuck it back into the pack. Daniel leaned back in his chair and looked over at his friends, completely missing the grin Alma sent Dylan's way and the little nod and smile of encouragement he sent back. By the time Daniel turned back around, Alma was shuffling the cards, focusing on the movements.

"And again, and again, and again." She said with a little laugh, continuing to shuffle the cards.

She was in mid-shuffle when the cards slipped from her hand. She shouted out in surprise as one card landed face down on the couch between her and Daniel. Ignoring the smug grin on Daniel's face, she reached down and picked the card up, holding it out to show it around.

"Is this your card?"

Daniel's grin fell as he saw the ten of diamonds. He looked from the card up to her face in complete shock, not having expected her to actually find his card, much less actually putting on a performance with the dropping of the card and shout.

"Yes." He managed to croak out.

Alma smiled triumphantly and jumped to her feet, ran over to Dylan and grabbed him in a hug.

"I told you!" She exclaimed cheerfully.

"Yes you did." Dylan chuckled, hugging her back.

He looked over at Daniel and chuckled, wishing he had a camera. It wasn't often that someone managed to pull one over on the showman. Especially not a brand new magician. Dylan grinned. He sure knew how to pick them.


	23. Justice

_**Well! It's been awhile since my last drabble and for that I'm sorry, but things have just gotten so busy here lately with getting ready to move and the fact that I might have accidently discovered Sherlock and have been held captive by that part of ...I regret nothing haha :P **_

_** Anyways, this chapter is for Mistrel Fox and her request for a Dylan centered chapter. It's a bit different, but I hope you all enjoy it. :) **_

_**And on a completely unrelated note, I'm participating in the Greatest International Scavenger Hunt the World Has Ever Seen (aka GISHWHES) which is hosted by actor Misha Collins (Castiel in Supernatural) and one of the items was to create a Twitter page for an alarm clock and to gather 200 followers while posting "Beep! Beep! 7:00 AM" at least once a day. So far my team has 104 followers and it would be such a big help if anyone on Twitter would follow the link below and follow us! The page is going to be deleted on Sunday when the hunt is over so you won't have to worry about following an alarm clock for very long. Thank you all so much! :) **_

_** twitter AlarmClock4Life (no spaces) **_

_**Characters/Pairings: The Eye, Dylan  
Rating/Warnings: K+, spoilers if you haven't seen the ending of the movie  
Setting: Pre-movie  
Word Count: 376**_

_**Disclaimer: Neither Dylan, the Eye, nor Now You See Me belong to me no matter how much I wish they did.**_

* * *

_Justice_

No one in the Eye was chosen at random. Each and every one where carefully selected after months of careful study, both through the records and on the street. Many who studied the Eye without knowing of its continued existence believed the requirements to be considered as a future member where many and that only the select few were permitted to join. They were half right. Only a select few were permitted to join, but there weren't many requirements. There were only two: first, they had to be the best of the best of the best in their style of magic; and second, they had to believe in justice.

The second requirement was what brought a young Dylan Shrike to their attention. The boy was young, by far one of the youngest they had ever looked at. He wasn't even nineteen yet, but was already a man in his own right. They had watched the son of the great Lionel Shrike be tossed about from foster home to foster home until he ran away at the age of fifteen to become a street magician.

They watched as the young man grew in his skill. He was a jack of all trades, it seemed, and smart. They had seen him painstakingly consider his performance before he ever attempted the first trick. He covered all the loose end without ever seeing the crowd. It was not a step many people, even magicians, thought to take. But what really caught their attention was his sense of right and wrong.

Living on the street is a difficult life for anyone, but especially for one so young. It was no surprise to the Eye when he turned to pickpocketing and the occasional theft of food from smaller convenient stores. What did come as a surprise, however, was when he never kept any of the food completely for himself. Whatever the young Shrike had taken that day was passed around at night to all the others in his position. It wasn't much, but it was more than the wealthy ever did.

And that was why they hadn't even had to think twice about what card Dylan Shrike would find in his jacket pocket that day. He was and always would be _Justice._


	24. Road Trip

_**So today I had to wake up super early and go on a nine hour road trip in order to get to where I am now going to be living. Nine hours. In a cramped SUV. Three states. Nine hours. NINE HOURS. But enough about that incredibly long trip (which isn't even that bad, but still haha) While on that trip and car sick, this story just popped into my head and so here is another chapter for The Horsemen's Stories. I hope you enjoy. :) **_

_** On an unrelated note, is anyone else super excited for the Now You See Me sequel?! I literally jumped for joy when I heard the news. I can't wait! I also can't wait till Saturday because I get to watch Now You See Me all over again! :D :D I'm going to be the nerd sitting in the best seat with a notepad writing every little detail down haha :P **_

_**Characters/Pairings: The Four Horsemen  
Rating/Warnings: K+  
Setting: Pre-movie  
Word Count: 634**_

_**Disclaimer: Now You See Me doesn't belong to me. **_

* * *

_Road Trip_

If there was one thing the Horsemen hated more than anything, it was road trips. Daniel almost constantly checked the map to make sure they were going the right way, Henley had really bad road rage, Jack got carsick, and Merritt…well, Merritt might as well have been a child. After six months performing together they had learned the ins and outs of making a long road trip bearable, but that didn't stop them from driving only when they absolutely had to.

"Where are we going again?" Merritt asked, shuffling in his seat as he tried to stretch his legs.

"Alabama." Daniel grunted, looking between the map and the GPS on his phone to make sure they were going the right way.

"How much longer?" Jack asked, tearing his eyes from the window and blinking away the headache that had begun to form.

"Nine hours." Daniel answered.

A collective groan went up at that; they had already been on the road for four hours. The SUV jerked the left all of a sudden, throwing the three men to the side as well.

"You could go faster you know!" Henley barked, glaring over at the car that she was currently zooming past.

"Are you sure you don't want me to drive, Henley?" Daniel asked hesitantly.

"No!" Henley barked. She pulled back over into the right lane before honking the horn at the car that pulled in front of her. "Oh, come on, jerk!"

She swerved back to the left lane and roared past the car, much to Jack's regret. He was already sick to his stomach, his head hurt, and he felt like he was going to puke at any moment. Grabbing the bucket they kept in the vehicle specifically for times like this, he held it close and leaned forward, resting his head against the seat in front of him.

Daniel's mouth was a thin line as he barely kept his opinions to himself. He hated when Henley drove, but he had quickly learned that her road rage could just as quickly turn against him if he said anything about it. So he kept his mouth shut and turned back to the studying both maps. When he was positive they were going in the right direction, he put the map to the side and began searching for gas stations and restaurants in the upcoming towns.

Merritt, meanwhile, sat in the back bored out of his mind. The car was crammed full of all their stuff and there was very little room. Normally he would play cards with Daniel or Jack, but as they were both currently occupied he had absolutely nothing to do. He had already finished his book, his computer had died, and Henley refused to let him turn the radio on after he had burst out singing Shania Twain's _Any Man of Mine._

Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored! He tried looking out the window, but the fast moving scenery did nothing but give him a headache so he looked back around, wincing as he hit the armrest with his side as Henley swerved once more. Then a light bulb went off and he grinned.

"Are we there yet?"

"No." Daniel replied absent-mindedly, not really listening as he studied his phone.

A few seconds passed.

"Are we there yet?"

"No."

Two seconds passed.

"Are we there yet?"

"No!"

No time at all passed before Merritt, with a big grin, continued his pestering.

"Are we there yet?"

"I said no, Merritt!" Daniel snapped angrily. "Now shut up!"

"But I'm bored." Merritt whined, grin firmly in place.

"Read a book." Daniel all but ordered.

"I'm finished."

"Sleep."

"Sleeping's boring!" Merritt couldn't help but laugh as Daniel turned back around with a huff and opened the map back up.

Five seconds of silence passed.

"Are we there yet?"


	25. Time to Grow Up

_**So last Saturday I was able to watch the movie again and I noticed all these little details that I wanted to write about, and this is one of them. It's set in the scene right before Jack is to lead the FBI on the wild car chase, when he is scared and says he doesn't want to go to jail. Well, his and Daniel's interaction made really want to write about how after the harsh words he said (It's time to grow up...or something to that extent) he came back and was nice. So this is my attempt at that scene. Hope you enjoy. :) **_

_**Characters/Pairings: Jack, Daniel, no pairings.  
Rating/Warnings: K+, spoilers if you haven't seen the movie (obviously)  
Setting: Before the car chase  
Word Count: 255**_

_**Disclaimer: Now You See Me still doesn't belong to me. **_

* * *

_Time to Grow Up_

_Jack: "I don't want to go to jail."  
Daniel: "It's time to grow up. You wanted to be treated like an adult so start acting like on." _

He watched as Jack fumbled for the lighter. A pang of regret hit him as he fully realized just how young Jack really was. He was no more than a kid; he shouldn't be running from the FBI and preparing to fake his own death. Daniel sighed and stopped in his own packing, waving off Henley's protest. He walked over and knelt beside Jack and reached out to take the light.

"It's going to be fine." He said quietly.

"I know." Jack mumbled, refusing to meet the older man's gaze.

"I'm scared to you know." The words were out before he could stop him and he flinched slightly, not having meant to admit that.

"You are?" Jack looked up, meeting his gaze hopefully, and Daniel was suddenly glad he had admitted it.

"I'd be stupid not to be." Daniel replied honestly. "But it's all going to be fine. We'll be right there to cut them off and they'll never know what happened."

"You can't know that for sure." Jack frowned.

"No," Daniel agreed. "But when am I ever wrong?"

"Do you really want me to answer that?" Jack laughed.

Daniel just smiled and handed him the lighter back. He reached out and clapped a hand on Jack's shoulder before turning to finish packing. Across the room, he saw Henley smile at him and he gave a small embarrassed smile back. As he returned to packing his own things, he heard the flick of the lighter catching and the smell of burning paper filled the room.


	26. A Time and a Place

**_This is another one of those little things that I noticed in the movie. It's set during the first meeting of Dylan and Bradley, when they're asking him for his help. While watching it I couldn't help but notice (or maybe simply imagine) that their was anger in his face. Which immediately sent my mind racing for other reasons why Dylan would be so mad, I mean the Horsemen hadn't done anything really yet except annoy him. And then I realized Bradley was bad-mouthing Lionel Shrike and this happened. :) _**

**_Characters/Pairings: Dylan Rhodes, mentions of Thaddeus Bradley  
Rating/Warnings: K+  
Setting: See above  
Word Count: 129_**

**_Disclaimer: Nope, not mine. _**

* * *

_A Time and a Place_

Rage. Burning red rage was all he could feel. But he forced himself not to show it. With every word that left Bradley's lips, the urge to punch him grew stronger and stronger. How dare Bradley badmouth his father when he was the domino that had fallen to begin his father's way to destruction! What right did he have to belittle his father's memory?

But he forced his anger back, letting it shine through only when discussing the Horsemen. He played the part of the stupid fool well, but it grew harder and harder with each passing second to reign his fury in. A time and a place. He repeated the words over and over again. Everything had a time and a place. And Thaddeus Bradley's was coming soon.


	27. Revenge is Mine

_**I find it funny. The more I write Dylan, the more I like him. When I first saw the movie I didn't really think about him one way or another. The second time, I really started to like him, and after the third time he's threatening to push Merritt out of second place. So here's a little Dylan drabble for ya. :) To those who have left requests, I'll get to them as soon as I can. I haven't wrote anything new in a few days (I wrote these last week) and it's been busy, but I won't forget about your requests! :) **_

_**Characters/Pairings: Dylan Rhodes (Shrike?)  
Rating/Warnings: K+  
Setting: Pre-movie  
Word Count: 193**_

_**Disclaimer: You know what, I do own Now You See Me! ...if this was an alternate reality. As it isn't, I unfortunately (or fortunately for other fans...) don't own it. **_

* * *

_Revenge is Mine_

The day the stone was laid over the empty grace he swore his revenge. Not a tear was shed as he stood by the graveside, the condolences of the well-wishers, of the gawkers, passed right over him. His eyes remained fixed on the name carved on the stone. _Lionel Shrike. _His father, his last family, his best friend, gone forever.

And he knew whose fault it was.

He blamed Tressler Insurance and Elkhorn Safes, yes, but there was one who was more at fault then they. Thaddeus Bradley. The man who had lit the match that consumed his father. It was Thaddeus Bradley who had destroyed his father, who had forced him into his final illusion unprepared. It was Thaddeus Bradley who had murdered his father.

And he would have his revenge.

He didn't care if it took him twenty, fifty, a hundred years. They would all pay for his father's death. He swore on his very life they would pay. And Thaddeus Bradley would pay most of all. Revenge would be his.

Blinking a solitary tear away, the twelve year old boy turned and walked out of the cemetery, disappearing into history.


	28. The Darkness Within

**_There has to be a reason Bradley is the way he is. It's obvious that he, at least at one time, practiced magic (ok, need to get out of Merlin mode) but something made him stop. I've wrote a few things about his parents dying in a trick before, but I took it a step further this time. Hope you enjoy. :) _**

**_Characters/Pairings: Thaddeus Bradley/OC  
Rating/Warnings: K+  
Setting: Pre-movie  
Word Count: 191_**

**_Disclaimer: Still don't belong to me_**

* * *

_The Darkness Within_

Magic had destroyed his life; now he lived to destroy magic. Once, a long, long time ago it had served a purpose, had had that spark, but no more. Now he could see it plainly for what it was: an evil. Pure, unbridled evil. An evil meant to be revealed, to be stopping in the dust. And he would be the one to do the stomping. It was his sole purpose in life. He had promised. He had promised her and he would never go back on that promise.

Her. Jenny. His love. His wife. The only one in his life that he had ever truly cared about, taken from him. Her life cut short by that evil. By magic. His magic. It was what made him see the evil, the sin, he had fallen into. The blades never should had touched her. They had done the trick thousands of times before. It shouldn't have happened. It shouldn't have!

But the darkness within that cruel lie of magic had revealed itself that day. It had taken his everything from him. It had destroyed his life. And now he would destroy it.


End file.
